Thursday, March 24, 2011

Alif Laila on sitar and Amit Kavthekar on Tabla will perform at Hood College in Frederick, MD on April 5, 2011.

Brodbeck Music Hall

Hood College, Frederick MD

7:30 p.m.

Free

From the college site:

A concert of classical Indian music will be presented April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Brodbeck Music Hall at Hood College.Alif Laila will perform on the sitar, a stringed instrument with a long hollow neck and a gourd-resonating chamber used throughout the Indian subcontinent. She will be accompanied by Amit Kavthekar on the tabla, a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional Indian music.Laila has performed in concerts in prestigious venues throughout the United States and worldwide. She taught sitar at the University of Maryland and is a faculty member of the Washington Conservatory of Music. Laila has released six CDs and two DVDs on classical sitar, and has recorded with world-renowned tabla maestros.Kavthekar has accompanied many renowned artists and performed numerous solo tabla performances. He has toured Japan and Australia and is a recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships.The concert is free and no tickets are required.For more information, contact Noel Lester, D.M.A., professor of music and concert pianist, at (301) 696-3429 or by e-mail at nlester@hood.edu.

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Biography

Hello and welcome!

I was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. My connection with the arts was very deep since childhood. After my initial training in vocal music, I was inspired to learn the sitar by my mother, Shehida, who opened the doors and guided me into the spiritual depth of the intricacies of all forms of arts in life.

My first guru was Ustad Mir Qasem Khan, nephew of the legendary Ustad Allauddin Khan. Later in life I learned from Partha Chatterjee and Krishna Bhatt. At present I am taking guidance from Kushal Das. I graduated from the College of Fine Art in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and received several awards for my paintings. The world of rhythm and tone in drawing and painting gradually merged with my music and my love story with the arts began.

I have performed extensively in Bangladesh, India, and the USA. I have released six CDs and two DVDs. 'Sangam', one of my CDs, was recorded in a unique analogue system of sound engineering by Mapleshade Records. My DVD ‘Hrydayaragam’ was recorded in Kerala, India and was presented as part of the Women’s History Month at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Another DVD, ‘The Strings Of Resonance’ connects the Indian Classical music to the heritage of the land. I am happy to present my latest work,'The Romance Of Raags And Songs In Bengal’ as a tribute to Bengali songs by two great poet/composers of Bengal, Tagore and Nazrul.

I am always sincerely trying to express and present my music as the complete ‘art’ of my life.

With devotion and dedication I embrace the sitar as the instrument of my soul.